Top unions put brakes on Clinton endorsement

Two major unions have decided to delay endorsements in the presidential race -- a move labor insiders attribute in part to the uncertainty Vice President Joe Biden’s potential run has inserted into the Democratic primary.

The decisions are a setback for Hillary Clinton, who has been courting the labor giants in the hopes of an early lock down of two powerhouse unions that can organize millions of members and resources on the ground. And they come against the backdrop of a Clinton campaign show of force -- in terms of establishment donors, delegates and endorsements -- as Biden weighs his options. Adding the support of two of the most muscular unions now would have sent a powerful message there is little room in the race for the vice president.

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The executive committee of the 2-million strong Service Employees International Union gathered on Sept. 16 and 17 for meetings where many had been expecting agreement on endorsing Clinton, according to union insiders, although a vote was not on the schedule. The board of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees -- the country’s largest public employee union, which endorsed Clinton in 2007 and has been expected to do so this year -- also held meetings in Washington, D.C., on Monday and Tuesday this week that presented an occasion for AFSCME to endorse.

Both unions, however, chose to put off any decision and remain uncommitted in the 2016 race. "We are determined to take the time necessary to make sure every voice is heard," an AFSCME official told POLITICO.

Supporters of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders hailed the delay as a victory, and attributed it as much to Biden’s influence on the race from the sidelines as Sanders’ momentum.

“The hesitation on their part is likely due as much to Bernie as to Biden -- he throws uncertainty into the mix,” said Rand Wilson, communications director for SEIU local 888 in Boston, who personally supports Sanders. “This gives more time for the supporters of Sanders to work hard to win their national leadership’s support. It’s very positive.”

The former president of the Communications Workers of America, Larry Cohen, who now serves as a campaign advisor to Sanders, said: “Both of those unions recognize their members are in different places, and they’re really encouraging their members to stay active and they’ll check in later.”

Both unions could still endorse before the end of the year. The SEIU board next meets in November; AFSCME does not need to assemble its board to take a vote.

Clinton has been actively courting SEIU, which represents more than 2 million healthcare, public service and food service workers. Last month in Los Angeles, she met with a small group of home healthcare workers and told them she was in favor of improving work conditions and increasing wages. Back in June, she called into a conference of fast-food workers in Chicago to lend some support to their push for a $15 minimum wage -- although she stopped short of endorsing the national movement (she has since endorsed a $15 minimum wage for fast food workers in New York). She also appeared by video at a Fight for $15 convention in Detroit this summer.

SEIU officials said the union has no timetable for an endorsement. Local leaders, they said, are still in the process of engaging members on the issues and candidates they support. Union officials said the polls so far show Clinton with the highest level of support from members, with 75 percent of members feeling favorable toward her.

But it has also faced vocal pressure from Sanders supporters to refrain from endorsing. Ahead of its September meeting, hundreds of SEIU leaders, members, retirees and staff signed a petition urging the union to hold off, arguing that an early Clinton endorsement would put the union in direct opposition to a growing movement of Sanders’ supporters fighting for progressive causes, like the Fight for $15.

At a meeting with AFSCME in June, Clinton told the board: "Unions provide balance to our economy and a boost to every Americans, we're all therefore better off."

In 2008, SEIU allowed local unions to endorse on a state-by-state basis in the fall of 2007. Its executive board eventually endorsed Barack Obama in February 2008.

AFSCME, which represents 1.3 million healthcare workers, correction officers, sanitation workers and other public sector employees, has been conducting polling since spring, and livestreamed its town halls with candidates in Iowa. "We have created unprecedented opportunities for every member around the country to play an active part in this important decision and there is no predetermined timeline for a decision," the AFSCME official said.

Top union officials are also looking to avoid the revolt among rank-and-file teachers who publicly called on the American Federation of Teachers to withdraw its endorsement of Clinton last July, claiming there had been little internal discussion with teachers before the union backed Clinton.

“Hillary Clinton is proud of the six unions that have already endorsed her campaign -- representing 3 million workers -- and she looks forward to earning the support of more in the weeks and months ahead,” said Clinton campaign spokesman Jesse Ferguson.

In addition to the AFT, Clinton’s campaign has scored the backing of some smaller AFL-CIO affiliates, such as the Machinists Union, the Roofers and Waterproofers Union, the Bricklayers Union, and the Plumbers and Pipefitters Union. On Tuesday, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America announced their endorsement of Clinton.

That puts her labor support ahead of Sanders, who so far has the backing only of the 175,000-member National Nurses United.